Treating Depression in Elderly Helps Body Too

Look for Physical and Mental Results

In Callahan's study, half of the participants were assigned to depression specialists. The rest received standard care without a specialist.

The specialists coordinated depression treatment, working with the participants' primary care doctors. The specialists could also deliver talk therapy. "They were sort of one-stop shopping for depression [treatment]," says Callahan.

"Those two [tasks] primarily explain the difference," says Callahan. Handling money and medications takes a higher level of thought than chores such as using a phone or bathing, he notes.

The findings came from patients' answers to well-accepted surveys of physical function, quality of life, and tasks of daily living.

In terms of depression symptoms, about half of the group assigned to depression clinical specialists improved significantly. So did 20% of the participants who didn't have a depression clinical specialist.

Physical function gains stood out in those whose depression improved, whether they had been assigned to a depression clinical specialist or not, says Callahan.

Be Persistent

Sometimes, it takes a little time to find the right treatment. Keep trying until something works, says Callahan.

"If the first attempt at a treatment hasn't worked in the first six to 12 weeks, you need to try something else," he tells WebMD. "Stay with the idea that 'I might not get it right the first time, but as I pick alternatives, something is going to be able to get this person better.'"

Be Sensitive to Generational Differences

Depression is widespread in America in all age groups, affecting nearly 19 million people per year, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

Many people never get help. But some of the reasons might be a bit different for senior citizens, Callahan suggests. They're more likely to be facing other health problems, and their views about mental illness may have been formed long ago.

"Older people lived through an era when mental illness was viewed as irreversible," says Callahan. "Then, they lived through an era where it was treatable, but the treatments had serious side effects. Now, we're in an era with treatments that are effective and have less severe side effects."